England pass Six Nations stress test, but rivals will return

Figure caption,

England lift the Six Nations, achieving the Grand Slam and beating France

It isn't just the 38 straight victories.

It's the five successive Grand Slams, the eight Six Nations titles, the Rugby World Cup title and a world number one ranking so strong it has essentially broken the spreadsheet., external

It's a spell of near-total supremacy that stretches back almost a decade.

Sixty-eight wins in the last 69 games. Eighty out of the last 82. Ninety-nine out of the last 103.

To death and taxes, add Red Rose victories to life's certainties.

But there was nothing routine about Sunday's 43-28 win over France in Bordeaux for John Mitchell and his players.

Asked about his emotions afterwards, the head coach couldn't contain them.

"As nice as it is for people to talk about us in that way [as one of the great English sporting teams], what is more important to us is the values that we live by," Mitchell said, before, his voice choked with emotion, he had to check himself.

"The girls are brave, they are so driven and that what makes them so good.

"Once you get know them and create that trust with them, it is an easy role really. They share their feeling so readily and it has enabled me to be a better coach and a better person."

England have needed all that trust and togetherness over the past six weeks.

More than half of the 32-strong squad that won the Rugby World Cup last year have been injured or absent for at least part of this Six Nations campaign. And most of those have been unavailable for its entirety.

With plans twisted out of shape, and under stress and scrutiny, they won all the same.

Ultimately the blood the French thought they could sniff as during a second-half comeback turned out to be Anglo-Saxon bloody-mindedness.

It was triumph of a team, but also a system.

As skipper Meg Jones lifted the Six Nations trophy, it was a celebration of Premiership Women's Rugby.

England's top flight is the world's premier domestic rugby competition, the standard of rugby attracting Test stars from around the globe.

"We are very fortunate to have that very strong competition, and we know for a fact as soon as our younger girls get 1,000 minutes in PWR they have a high probability of playing for England," said Mitchell.

"Our younger players are arriving with readiness to play for the Red Roses."

The way that teenager Demelza Short has flown into the fray during this campaign, stealing a turnover and relishing the battle with France off the bench in the Grand Slam decider, is exhibit A.